Springtime is bursting with life and wild animals are breeding. Newborns in the wild are irresistibly cute and if kids find them during their outdoor adventures, they often want to keep the baby animals as pets.

Keeping a wild animal is illegal, unless you have a Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit. Newborns need their mothers for survival. Humans can rarely provide the specific food or environment required for a wild baby animal.

Well-intentioned people can do more harm than good by taking baby animals out of their habitat. According to the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association, most of the young "rescues" brought to their centers are babies that did not need help.

Dependency on humans can be unhealthy for wild animals, and young animals need to gain experiences in the wild to survive on their own. "If you care, leave them there!" is the recommendation from the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.

Once, my neighbor was mowing the lawn and to her horror she ran over a nest of baby rabbits. Upon closer inspection, all the bunnies were fine, snuggled in their nest, intertwined like an adorable jigsaw puzzle. The nest was a hollow dug out in the ground lined with dry grass and fur. The mom was nowhere in sight, but the bunnies were not abandoned. Even though little bunnies are helpless, the mother rabbit visits the nest at dawn and dusk to feed them, covering the nest with a light layer of grass to hide her babies from predators.

You may find a delicate little fawn in the grass all by itself, but the doe is most likely close by. The fawnís spotted fur camouflages it from predators. Do not touch the deer, because the smell of humans can drive the mother away. If it has been touched, wipe it with a towel to remove the human scent. Baby foxes, kits, can be found on their own when their mother is out hunting. Like the rabbit, the deer and fox mothers may not return to their babies if they see people or pets nearby, so stay away.

If a baby mammal looks healthy, but abandoned, it is best to get it back to its mother. Put on gloves and gently place the baby back inside the nest/den if you can find it. Stay out of sight and keep pets away. If the mother returns, they are OK. If not, they could be taken to a wildlife rehabilitator.

MassAudubon recommends in most cases to leave birds alone. If you find a bird with scruffy feathers awkwardly hopping on the ground, it is probably a fledgling (about 2 weeks old). It most likely has a parent that will continue to feed it and teach it to fly. If it is in harmís way, you can place it on a shrub for safety. If a cat or dog is nearby, donít bring the bird inside to protect it, put the pet inside so that it will not attack the fledgling.

Page 2 of 2 - If you find a little bird with no feathers and its eyes are closed, it is a hatchling (zero to 4 days old). It needs to get back to its nest to survive. If you know where the nest is, place it back in its nest. According to MassAudubon, contrary to popular belief, birds will not abandon their young if people have handled them. If you cannot find the nest, place the bird in a shallow woven basket (so that it will not drown if it rains), and secure it with wire to a tree branch nearby the location you found the bird. Hopefully the parents will find the baby. If the birdís eyes open, but only has a few straggly feathers, it is probably a nestling (4 to 13 days old) and can be treated like a hatchling.

Baby reptiles are not dependent on their mother for food, so they do not need help. However, if you see a snake that got nicked by a lawn mower or a turtle whose shell has been cracked by a car, a wildlife rehabilitator may be able to help the animal.

There are times when a wild baby is truly distressed. These include: if a cat or dog brought the baby animal to you; if it has a broken limb; if it is shivering, vomiting or bleeding; or if there is a dead parent nearby. In these situations, you can contact a wildlife rehabilitator or a vet to find out what to do. Do not feed it or give it water. Whenever handling wild newborns to put it in a box lined with cloth to transport, wear gloves and wash your hands afterwards. Licensed wildlife rehabilitators have the knowledge and experience to care for wild orphans that need help.

To learn more visit MassAudubon at www.massaudubon.org. To locate a wildlife rehabilitator in your area visit www.owra.org/find-a-wildlife-rehabilitator or call National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association at 320-230-9920